3 Things We Learned: FC Barcelona vs Manchester United

The Catalans won 1-0, thanks to a goal from Neymar, which maintains their 100% record in pre-season matches.

Aleñá Deserves Game Time

The young Spanish midfielder has used this pre-season well. He has fitted well in to the team in both matches, and has linked up well with the other creative players. Against Manchester United, Carles Aleñá filled Andrés Iniesta’s role well with composed passing and progressive dribbling.

He looked at ease with the different requirements that were needed in this match. His pressing of the ball was smart, and he was able to work well with the creative players in the quick transitions which happened a lot in this match.

Most importantly, he was patient in the final third when Barcelona were trying to unpick the Manchester United defence. That is the style he will be playing in the most, so it is vital that he has a strong understanding with his teammates. In central areas, the Catalans use a lot of slick, small distance passing as well as smart movement to create space. Aleñá has shown evidence that he is able to do this, which is vital considering Iniesta’s ability in this regard.

At the very least, he deserves to be rotated in for the less important games during the season. Pre-season matches are not the best way to judge a player, but he has been on the fringes of the first team for a while. Bringing him in to the team would be a natural progression for him from La Masia where he excelled. Ernesto Valverde has a good record with youth, so it wouldn’t be a surprise to see this.

First Team Sharpness

Teams usually look sluggish in pre-season matches. This wasn’t the case for Barça, in this match, especially the attacking players. The outfield players were only played for 45 minutes in this game and the Juventus match as well, so this has to be considered. However, it’s still impressive seeing the understanding between the creative players in the final third.

Neymar is the only player to have scored for Barcelona in the pre-season matches, but chance creation hasn’t been an issue. Lionel Messi, Luis Suárez and Paco Alcácer have all had clear chances to score. The M-S-N trio haven’t lost their seemingly telepathic understanding, and there seems to be a clear determination among them going in to the season.

In the first half, when the majority of the first team was playing, the Catalans were creating chances at will. United tried to limit space in the central areas through sheer numbers, but Barcelona’s movement was too slick. They really should have scored more than once, but David de Gea was in fine form. Some of the chances were wasted by hitting the ball straight at the Red Devils goalkeeper as well.

It’s a promising sign that the team is already raring to go for the season. Losing the league title on the final day of the season seems to have given them the necessary inspiration for this campaign.

Next: Transfer Rumour Update

Umtiti’s Ready

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Samuel Umtiti’s first season at the club was very impressive, and he looks ready to continue this based on the pre-season matches. It was interesting that him and Javier Mascherano were paired together for the first half. These two are challenging for the centre-back spot next to Gerard Piqué if Valverde elects to play a back four. The French defender looks more comfortable on the ball and is more physically dominant than Mascherano. His reading of the game is good, although, it still needs work. Mascherano has experience on his side, but he has been declining for a while, and would be more suitable to a backup role.

Barcelona did a great job of controlling the midfield and stifling United’s play. However, they did occasionally get in to the final third, and were mostly limited to speculative shots from distance. Romelu Lukaku was relatively isolated up front, but Umtiti did well at limiting his ability to link up with his teammates. He also hindered Lukaku’s effectiveness at being used as a threat in behind.

Overall, it was an assured performance. This isn’t a surprise considering how reliable the young defender was last season. He is only 23-years-old, so he definitely has the ability to be a top class defender for the next decade. Barcelona need to keep hold of him because they are unlikely to find someone so suited to the role. It’s even more remarkable considering he isn’t a La Masia graduate.